In honor of my greatest encourager, Bishop Owens, I am re-sharing this message from a year ago. This great and gracious man of God is known and admired by so many people all over the world whose lives, like mine, he has touched and blessed. Yet he was thoughtful and kind enough to call me personally when I initially shared this message, to tell me how much he enjoyed reading it. His call was a gift to me from an impartial giver at a time when I was experiencing a dry season. Now, as he is in a season of recovery and recuperation, we are constantly covering him in prayer!

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 NKJV).

Impartial Giving!

My brother Griffin and I sat on the floor in front of the roaring fireplace in our old farmhouse. We were eager to peruse the toys section of the big Sears, Roebuck Catalog, and pick the ones we wanted Santa to bring down our chimney on Christmas Eve. We knew he wouldn’t. We had grown accustomed to seeing the Red Flyer wagons and Schwinn bikes we so desired in the yards of white kids in Halifax and Enfield during the days following Christmas. If Santa belonged to the whole world, why was he such a selective giver? Still, we hoped the chubby white man in a red suit, with rosy, red cheeks, wire rim glasses, and a white beard might have a change of heart and give some of his toys to us this year!

Giving is one of the major themes of the Bible and of God. God is a giver by nature. God is an impartial giver. He is not a respecter of persons (Romans 2:11 KJV). And “You can’t beat God giving, no matter how you try” (Caravans). In Genesis, He gave us his breath, and we began to live. In the middle of the Bible, to redeem us after we listened to the devil and fell into sin, God gave us His Son. And the Son, the incarnate God, gave His life for us. In the book of Revelation, He says, “Behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me to give man according as his work shall be.” 

God wants us to be impartial givers, too. And as I have said often, sincere caring is needed more than the things we often give each other during this season.  Know that some, possibly more than usual now, may be smiling with torn and bleeding hearts during this special season of the year.  You can give them your shoulder to lean on. Give everyone a genuine smile and a warm and sincere greeting.

Griffin and I never got the Red Flyer wagon or the Schwinn bike. But our loving parents made sure we got something, a spinning top, an assembly puzzle, whatever they could afford. Ultimately, we had an abundance of genuine family love, and Christmas was always the most wonderful time of the year for us!

Focus Quote: “For there is no partiality with God. 

–Romans 2:11 NKJV